An Evolution in Security

By adopting Office 365 for greater productivity, protection and mobility, many organisations we work with have already taken one of the biggest steps in their digital evolution. For those organisations, and many others, the next logical consideration is whether to make the move to Microsoft 365.

In a recent article, we examined one of the most common queries we get regarding the Office suite – “What is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365?”. In it, we explained how the difference is not so much a like-for-like comparison but rather, an evolution. Moving to Microsoft 365 from Office 365, for most organisations, is a natural progression. However, this then unearths another fork in the road as Microsoft 365 comes in 2 different packages; Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Enterprise. In the piece below we compare both packages to help you decide which is best for your organisation.

Microsoft 365 Business vs Microsoft 365 Enterprise – A Comparison

Before we begin, a brief recap. Microsoft 365 is an integrated platform that brings together Office 365, Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS).  You can learn more here.

Microsoft 365 is further divided into two offerings – Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Enterprise. For the most part, the difference is relatively straightforward. Microsoft 365 Business is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (limited to 300 users). Microsoft 365 Enterprise is designed for enterprise customers (greater than 300 users, no limit) that have to contend with complex threat landscapes, greater storage and user requirements, and more advanced compliance needs. Within the office suite, this trend of scale continues. Both offerings come with all the standard services included in Office 365. However, a number of applications are adapted to large scale organisations within the Enterprise solution, such as OneDrive and SharePoint.

Enhanced Security and Compliance

In the article cited in the opening introduction, we highlighted that Microsoft 365’s fundamental difference from Office 365 was enhanced security features. Microsoft 365 comes integrated with Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS). For both Business and Enterprise customers, this represents a step up in terms of security. Even still, for Microsoft 365 Enterprise customers, security is bolstered even further. Some of the main security enhancements include:

Windows 10 Enterprise:

Microsoft 365 Enterprise includes Windows 10 Enterprise, the most secure Windows release ever. Windows 10 Enterprise has intelligent security and is integrated for simplicity, harnessing the power of the cloud to help reduce the complexity of managing today’s modern IT device environment. Security tools include:

      • Windows Hello – Windows Hello is a biometrics-based technology that enables Windows 10 users to authenticate secure access to their devices, apps, online services and networks with just a fingerprint, iris scan or facial recognition.
      • Credential Guard – Uses virtualization-based security to isolate and harden key system and user credentials against compromise.
      • Device Guard – A group of key features, designed to harden a computer system against malware. Its focus is preventing malicious code from running by ensuring only known good code can run.

An overview of Microsoft 365 Compliance Center (Source)

Compliance Centre:

The Microsoft 365 Compliance centre provides easy access to the data and tools you need to manage your organization’s compliance needs. The compliance centre is comprised of three sections:

      • Assess – An overview as to how your organisation is doing with respect to data protection and compliance. From here, you can go to Compliance Manager, where you can review or edit your configurations and potentially improve your overall compliance score.
      • Protect – contains cards that provide you with high-level information about labelsdata loss prevention (DLP), third-party apps in use, shared files, shadow IT apps, and so on.
      • Respond – Surfaces alerts and pending dispositions to be reviewed and potentially acted upon. Cards, such as Active alert cards, provide more detailed information such as severity, Status, Category and more.

All-in-all, the Compliance centre in Microsoft 365 Enterprise provides you with easy navigation to more compliance features and capabilities.

Information Protection and Security: 

      • Data Loss Protection
      • eDiscovery
      • Legal Hold

Which Package is Right for You?

We hope this article provides you with a greater understanding of the nuances of both Microsoft 365 Business and its Enterprise alternative.

For the most part, the choice in package is preordained based on organisation size (Microsoft 365 Business limited to 300 members). However, for some customers, this dividing line might not be so clear cut. Our best advice is to contact your ActionPoint account manager, or a member of our team. Our experienced staff can guide you through the most suitable option for your organisation, and in doing so, help you take the next step in your digital evolution.

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